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The power of Obsidian largely comes from its plugin marketplace. Plugins allow users to expand Obsidian from a basic Markdown editor into an infinite-functionality Swiss army knife according to their needs. Obsidian's plugins are divided into two categories: **Core Plugins** and **Community Plugins**, which can be viewed and enabled in Settings. !(https://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/obsidian-tutorial-tutorial-9.png) ### 1. Core Plugins * **Definition:** These are built-in, officially maintained functional modules that come with Obsidian software. They are installed by default in every Obsidian instance but can be enabled or disabled as needed. * **Function:** Provide basic and important software features such as **bidirectional links** between notes, **graph view**, **daily notes**, **templates**, **tag panel**, etc. * **Application Examples:** * **Daily Notes:** Quickly create and jump to notes for the current day, perfect for daily logging or task tracking. * **Canvas:** Allows you to freely arrange notes, images, and web pages on an infinite whiteboard for visual thinking organization. * **Templates:** Allows you to define reusable note structures (such as book notes, meeting records) to improve efficiency. ### 2. Third-Party Plugins * **Definition:** These are third-party functional extensions created, maintained, and shared by Obsidian users (developers) worldwide. * **Characteristics:** A large number of diverse functions that greatly enrich Obsidian's ecosystem. * **Security:** Before installing third-party plugins, Obsidian has **Safe Mode** enabled by default. To install plugins, you need to manually turn off Safe Mode. Obsidian will remind users to pay attention to security risks (it is recommended to only install plugins with high download volumes, high ratings, and clear functionality). For beginner users, here are some of the most popular, powerful third-party plugins that can quickly enhance your experience: | Plugin Name | Main Function | Typical Use Cases | | --- | --- | --- | | **Dataview** | Treat your note library as a database, query and display data using code. | Automatically generate task lists, summarize all items or book lists with specific tags. | | **Excalidraw** | Create hand-drawn style diagrams and mind maps in Obsidian. | Create flowcharts, concept sketches, or add handwritten annotations. | | **Calendar** | Display a calendar view in the right sidebar. | Quickly view and jump to past daily notes for schedule review. | | **Advanced Tables** | Simplify the creation and formatting of Markdown tables. | Easily align and edit complex tables without manually adjusting spaces. | | **Kanban** | Create Trello or Notion-like kanban views in Obsidian. | Task management, project progress tracking, or drag ideas from "To Do" to "Done". | | **Obsidian Git** | Automatically back up your vault to Git repositories (like GitHub). | Achieve version control and multi-device sync, providing additional security. | ### How to Install and Manage Plugins #### 1. Enter Plugin Settings 1. Click **"Settings"** (gear icon) in the bottom left 2. Find **"Core Plugins"** and **"Community Plugins"** in the sidebar. #### 2. Steps to Install Third-Party Plugins 1. Go to the **"Community Plugins"** tab. 2. **Turn off Safe Mode:** Obsidian will prompt you to do this. 3. Click **"Browse"**. 4. Enter the plugin name in the search box (e.g., `Dataview`). 5. Click the plugin, then click **"Install"**. 6. **Enable the Plugin:** After installation, click the **"Enable"** button. The plugin will then start working. !(https://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/obsidian-tutorial-tutorial-10.png) !(https://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/obsidian-tutorial-tutorial-11.png) !(https://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/obsidian-tutorial-tutorial-12.png) > **Tip:** After installing a plugin, it is usually accessed via the left sidebar, right sidebar, or through the **Command Palette** (`Ctrl/Cmd + P`). * * * ## Obsidian Core Plugins Obsidian has more than a dozen built-in core plugins. By default, some are enabled while others need to be manually turned on. !(https://example.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/tutorial_1779342694770.png) ### Daily Notes Daily Notes is the core plugin for the diary feature, giving you a fixed note each day for recording, planning, or reflection. #### Enable and Configure Enable "Daily Notes" in Settings → Core Plugins. Key configuration options: | Configuration | Recommended Value | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | Date Format | YYYY-MM-DD | e.g., 2026-05-21, naturally sorted by filename | | Default Folder for New Notes | 00-Journal | Separated from regular notes for easier management | | Template File Location | Templates/JournalTemplate | Specifies the template for daily notes | #### Journal Template Design ## Example --- tags: - Journal created: {{date}} --- # {{date}} Journal ## Today's Goals - Goal 1 - Goal 2 - Goal 3 ## Notes and Ideas ## Today's Summary ### Well done ### Can be improved ### Tomorrow's Plan #### Quick Operations Click the calendar icon in the left sidebar, or use the Command Palette to search for "Daily Notes: Open Today's Note". Obsidian will automatically create a daily note file in the specified folder. You can also set it to automatically open today's note on startup, making Daily Note your default entry point. ### Canvas: Infinite Whiteboard Canvas is Obsidian's built-in infinite canvas tool that uses cards and connections to organize thoughts, plan projects, and draw diagrams. #### Create a Canvas Right-click in the file list and select "New Canvas", or search for "Canvas" in the Command Palette. Canvas files are stored with the .canvas extension and are essentially JSON files that can be viewed and edited with a text editor. #### Add Cards Double-click on empty space in Canvas to create cards, or drag in the following content: * Markdown note files (automatically create linked cards) * Images (displayed immediately when dragged in) * Webpage links (automatically create embedded cards) #### Connections and Grouping Hover over the edge of a card to reveal connection points. Drag to another card to create a connection. Connections can have text labels (such as "depends on", "leads to", "references"), and you can choose colors and line styles. Select multiple cards and right-click to "Create Group" to add background colors and titles to them. #### Use Cases | Scenario | Usage | | --- | --- | | Brainstorming | Freely create cards and use connections to express relationships between ideas | | Project Planning | Task cards + dependency connections + groups representing stages, giving a clear view of the entire project | | Knowledge Map | Drag core concept notes into Canvas and use connections to show citation relationships between concepts | | Writing Outline | Each card is a chapter key point, drag to reorder, connections represent logical relationships | > Canvas is different from Graph View: Graph View is automatically generated by Obsidian based on your bidirectional links, while Canvas is actively and manually laid out by you. The former is discovery, the latter is planning. ### Outline: Outline Panel The Outline plugin displays the heading tree of the current document in the right sidebar. #### Core Features * Automatically parse # ## ### headings in the document to generate a hierarchical tree * Click on a heading to quickly jump to the corresponding position in the document * The